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Jenna Stayart scores first goal of season in loss to Auburn
When Sammi Woods located Jenna Stayart on a pass, she knew she had to score.
Woods was one of five seniors celebrated before the match during Tennessee soccer’s Senior Day Ceremony. With the special occasion, a tying goal would mean even more to Woods and her teammates.
Stayart used one touch to settle the ball before sending it into the top-right corner, tying the game for Tennessee.
“Sammi fought the whole time in the corner to give me the ball,” Stayart said. “Just for all of our seniors, trying to get back into the game so we could have a chance to get a win for them.”
Despite Stayart’s goal, the Lady Vols didn’t get a win for their seniors. Tennessee lost, 3-2, to No. 14 Auburn, dropping its second straight game and third overall.
Stayart hasn’t scored since a win over Queens in 2022, but the redshirt junior brings more than just goal-scoring talent. Playing a season-high 55 minutes, Stayart had plenty of time to contribute to Tennessee’s performance.
“Her duels, her ability to shield and help us gain possession in the midfield,” Tennessee head coach Joe Kirt said. “She’s been consistent throughout her defending and helping us in the front half defensively. It has been tremendous.”
The Lady Vols fought back following the first two Auburn goals, scoring quickly after each to tie the game. When Sydnie Thibodaux scored in the 80th minute, Tennessee couldn’t find a third goal.
Tennessee showed resilience throughout the match, but it ran out in the moments where it mattered most. When the Lady Vols tried to score with two minutes left, their forwards tried to earn a penalty call from the official but couldn’t following video review.
Auburn outshot the Lady Vols, 11-5, in the game. Tennessee only put two shots on Auburn’s goal, and while both went in, the Lady Vols didn’t generate enough offensively to match Auburn’s three goals.
“We’ve got to defend,” Kirt said. “We can’t give up soft goals, and we did that today.”
At the back, Tennessee struggled. Right after halftime, Olivia Woodson ran right past several Tennessee defenders and cleanly beat goalkeeper Ally Zazzara. Allowing goals like that will ruin any team’s chances to beat a ranked opponent, just as it did for Tennessee.
After a 5-0 loss to Arkansas, Tennessee needed to put together a complete 90-minute performance. It didn’t do that on Sunday, but it certainly got closer. As the season starts to wrap up, there’s less time to improve.
“I think we just got to know that we have to keep fighting for all 90 minutes, stay together and keep moving forward,” Stayart said. “We have a lot more games to keep fighting and show that we can.”
With just four games to go in Tennessee’s regular season, every point is crucial. After missing out on a chance for points at home, the Lady Vols head to Georgia on Friday, trying to move up the SEC table.
After two defeats, Tennessee has even more motivation to close out the season strong as it tries to earn a spot in the SEC and NCAA tournaments. With only one of its four remaining games coming against ranked opposition, the Lady Vols expect to have a successful end to the 2024 regular season.
“It’s a great opportunity in front of us,” Kirt said. “Every game left is an opportunity for us to grab points, and we let two slip by the wayside. They know that, and they’re good enough to get three points in our remaining games, all of them.”
) and pure grit to really make this a good, final one.
